Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - In the days leading up to the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo, WGR will provide profiles on some players that could be available for the Sabres with the 27th overall pick in the first round.
It may be a bit surprising when talking about a player of Xavier Villeneuve's caliber being a potential late first-round pick, or even second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. That's because Villeneuve often draws comparisons to the next Lane Hutson in the NHL as a smaller, but extremely mobile, puck-moving and offensive-minded defenseman.
Right from his time entering the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) three years ago, Villeneuve was highly regarded for his exceptional play from the blue line with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. Over his three seasons in the QMJHL, Villeneuve has racked up 26 goals and 117 assists for 143 points in 152 games.
During his 2024-25 campaign, Villeneuve really put people on notice with 62 points (12+50) in a 61 games for the Armada. He then followed that up with an impressive IIHF U-18 World Championship performance with four goals and four assists for eight points in seven games, helping the Canadians to a gold medal.
After a relatively hot start to his 2025-26 season with 22 points (4+18) in his first 14 games, Villeneuve went a bit cold with his production, accounting for just 14 points (2+12) over his next 21 contests before an undisclosed injury in early January forced the Laval, Quebec native to miss more than two months of game action.
Upon Villeneuve's return to the lineup with two games left in the regular season, he helped the Armada make a run to the semifinals of the QMJHL Playoffs, where Blainville-Boisbriand went on to fall in seven games to the Moncton Wildcats. In his 17 games played, Villeneuve was able to net six goals and add eight assists for 14 points.
While Villeneuve was still productive in his draft year, there may be some that question whether he can produce on a consistent basis while also withstanding the ever-progressing physical play in hockey, especially for being such a smaller defenseman at 5-foot-11 and just 163 pounds.
Also for being a player of his age, as one of the older prospects in the class, expectations were set high for him at the junior level, and maybe certain expectations were not met.
What is undeniable is Villeneuve's ability to motor around the ice like the Energizer Bunny. Especially when the puck finds his stick, Villeneuve has his head up the whole time, keeps his feet moving and surveys the ice with his vision and hockey IQ to make the best play possible. While he may sometimes try a bit too hard to make a play, thus putting himself out of position, his speed and footwork allow him to get back into the fray when the play transitions back the other way.
With his vision and hockey IQ, Villeneuve is able to process the game quickly and find passing lanes not many players can hit on the fly. He's also quick to find the slightest of openings to fire the puck towards the net for a scoring chance, though sometimes his shot may not always be of best quality.
Villeneuve's puck handling from the blue line is among the best of any player in this year's draft, and his agility and ability to sidestep and deke opposing defenders makes him a human highlight reel.
His skating is very crisp and clean, with an ability to glide around the ice with ease. However, he is sometimes guilty of not moving his feet enough and being strong on his feet in his own zone, thus creating too many lapses and scoring chances against.
Where his game goes from here will certainly be something to watch. He certainly needs to get bigger and stronger on and off the puck, he will need to clean up his overall game a bit, and it'll be proving whether the game doesn't get too much for him as the difficulty only increases.
Luckily, Villeneuve is set to head to Boston University for his Freshman season of collegiate hockey next year. It's nearly the same exact path as Hutson went following his draft year, where he played well at the junior ranks and then took off with his game with the Terriers.
If Villeneuve can develop properly and grow his game similar to how Hutson did at Boston University in his two seasons there, then whatever team takes a swing at Villeneuve may score one of the bigger home runs in recent years.
